Coming off of an emotional, last-second win over undefeated Villanova, and with a colossal showdown at second-ranked Delaware looming in two weeks, the Massachusetts football team could be poised for a letdown Saturday when it hosts intra-state rival Northeastern (5-3 3-2 Atlantic 10) at Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
However as far as coach Mark Whipple is concerned, the 42-17 thumping NU handed the Minutemen (7-1 5-0 A-10) at Parsons Field, along with the fact that the Huskies were the preseason choice to win the A-10 as well as the top ranked team overall in Street ‘ Smith’s preseason poll, is enough to motivate his team.
“I’m concerned where we’re at after the win at Villanova,” Whipple said. “As physical and as high level a game as that was last week, [an emotional letdown] has to be a concern.
“But this is a really huge game, and they have a really good team and they proved that last year when they played us. All I have to say is 42-17 -it’s embarrassing. We didn’t play physical and they beat us in every phase, so the guys have circled this one on the calendar a long time ago.”
In addition to snapping UMass’ 16-game winning streak in the series between the two schools, last season’s victory for Northeastern was also the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record in 15 games against I-AA teams for senior tri-captain and quarterback Jeff Krohn.
The game also marks a chance for UMass’ senior class to graduate without having lost to the Huskies in Amherst. In fact, the Minutemen have won 11 consecutive contests with NU in the Pioneer Valley, including nine straight at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
“I think its human nature for Jeff to want this game a little more,” Whipple said. “And I think our seniors want it bad too, because they’ve never lost to [Northeastern] at home.”
One problem facing the Maroon and White this week, as it has for the majority of the season, is injuries. With linebacker L.A. Love bothered by a bad ankle, and still without starting cornerback Bobby Boyer, defensive coordinator Tom Masella may have to do even more mixing and matching in his depleted secondary, as starting strong safety Anton McKenzie is questionable and may not see considerable action.
Widely considered the heart of the Minutemen’s secondary, No. 42’s absence could prove costly after partially tearing a quad in last week’s win. Whipple, however, feels that UMass will be ready to play without its tri-captain.
“We’ve already gone a whole half without him, and its harder if you lose someone in the middle of a game,” he said. “We’re not sure if he can go or not, but we now at least have a plan if he’s going to be on the shelf.”
The news is not all bad on the injury front for the Minutemen, however, as leading receiver Jason Peebler is expected back from a hamstring injury along with fellow wideout Dominique Stewart, who separated his shoulder in the win over Villanova.
Tailback Raunny Rosario, who saw spot action against the Wildcats, is also expected to play, but in a limited roll. However, that may change if tailbacks Rich Demers and Steve Baylark are unable to get untracked, as was the case last week when the duo rushed for a total of 78 yards on 24 carries.
In addition to establishing its own rushing attack, Whipple knows that his team must stop the vaunted Husky ground game if it hopes to be successful. Husky tailbacks Tim Gale, Peter Harris and Anthony Riley have rushed for 527, 493 and 397 yards on the season, respectively.
As a team, the Huskies have gained just over 2,000 yards on the season. However, the Maroon and White possess the nation’s fifth-ranked rush defense, allowing only 89.8 yards per game on the ground and will look to force the Huskies and quarterback Shawn Brady to throw.
On the season, Brady is 82-of-163 for 1282 yards, an average of 160.2 ypg. He has thrown for nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
“We feel better about stopping their run than we did last year,” Whipple said. “But we also thought our offensive line matched up well with Villanova last week, and they won the battle and we couldn’t run the ball, so you just never know.”
“[Tim] Gale is healthy for them, and they have a good line and a good scheme and they know what they want to do.”
Defensively, NU is led by All-Conference Performer and Buck Buchanan Award candidate, Liam Ezekiel. The junior linebacker has 79 tackles on the season, to lead the Huskies, including 30 solo stops.
According to Whipple, it will be his team’s ability to get off to a good start against a Husky team coming off of a bye week that will go a long way in determining the outcome.
“They’ve had a week off so everything’s in their favor,” he said. “I think if we can get ahead of them, they have a hard time playing from behind. So that’s what we need to do is get ahead early.”
